DALLAS: Pakistan speedster Haris Rauf held his nerves calm to defend 20 runs in a last-ball Major League Cricket (MLC) 2024 thriller here at Grand Prairie Stadium on Thursday.
The 16th match of the MLC 2024 between San Francisco Unicorns and MI New Yorks came right down to the wire as the defending champions needed 20 runs off the final over.
Heath Richards and Rashid Khan were on strike for MI New York while Unicorns’ captain Corey Anderson entrusted Haris Rauf to bowl the tense final over.
Rauf had an unwanted start to the over as Richards launched his fuller delivery for a six.
The pacer regrouped and managed to execute a yorker on the next delivery and Richards worked it for a single.
Rauf followed the yorker with a slower one to Rashid, who powers it towards midwicket fielder for a couple.
Haris Rauf then went for a pacy fuller delivery on middle and off and Rashid went for a wild slog but it landed just ahead of the fielder at long-off for a single.
Rauf then went for another slower ball but this time Richards was ready and he struck the ball clean over deep mid-wicket for a maximum, bringing the equation down to four off the final ball.
Rauf then bowled a zipping fuller delivery, honing into the off stump and Richards, who had been accessing the areas in front of the wicket so well throughout his innings, decided to play the reverse lap.
However, the right-handed batter was very late on the stroke and got nowhere close to a connection. The ball flicked the pad and then deflected straight to wicketkeeper batter Josh Inglis.
Haris Rauf appealed for an lbw and the on-field umpire Marais Erasmus, took his time, before raising the finger. Richards did not review and San Francisco Unicorns won by three runs.
The narrow three-run victory over MI New York powered San Francisco Unicorns into the MLC 2024 playoffs.
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